7 Top Tips for Visiting Amsterdam with Kids

Amsterdam is a colourful and fun city with almost as many bikes as the people living there, ten times as many tourists sleeping in the city each year as residents. It offers the perfect city break with kids: Easy to reach- by boat, plane, train or car-, lots to do whatever the weather.

It has 21 markets, but only one flower market and 165 canals with 1281 bridges.

Spending just 2 days in a city like Amsterdam with young kids (2 year old, 6 year old and 7 year old, in my case) may seem madness, but you’ll love it! You won’t see even a fraction of the sights. You will, however, soak in the atmosphere and have lots of fun. Guaranteed!

Here’s how to make the most of your short trip with 7 top tips for Amsterdam with kids

Where do you start in Amsterdam?

At the Centraal Station, the central railway station, of course. 😉

1. Take the #1 canal cruise

Slipping through the canals is fascinating for kids (and adults). They spot the ducks, you spot the beautiful buildings & some of those 1281 bridges. The water is such an intricate part of this city’s past, present and future that travelling along it has to be experienced!

2. Take the #2 tram

Named the one of the world’s most beautiful tram lines by the National Geographic this tram passes by a lot of the great sites of Amsterdam. It’s a budget-friendly way to see highlights of this colourful city. My kids loved it: their feet got to rest, but they could gaze outside the window spotting things different from home.

3. Walk at the kids’ pace

Image credit: http://esferasinvisibles.deviantart.com/

Weave your way through the streets of central Amsterdam ducking the cyclist, sampling Dutch fast foods like croquette, frikandellen (a sort of sausage, which is great with mayo and raw onions) and frites met satay sauce (chips with peanut sauce).
Pass through the world-famous Flower Market and take in the colours.

4. Run around in Vondel Park

This beautiful park, named after the famous Dutch poet Vondel, is a great place for kids to run around while you enjoy watching Amsterdammers and other tourists enjoying the fresh air, wandering, exercising and watching the local wildlife.
It is probably the closest you’ll find yourself to a heron (the bird) ever.

5. Soak in culture and history

…but forget the most famous museums like Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum or even Anna Frank’s house (with young children at least) head over to the water’s edge to the Maritime museum, Het Scheepvaartmuseum. This museum is guaranteed to keep young and old entertained and learning. It’s a wonderful museum to learn about Dutch history which is so intertwined with maritime history. The exhibits are often interactive and lots of them multi-lingual.

6. Eat pancakes and waffles

(Image credit- Chen Huang Jin Rong … as we scoffed ours before I had a chance to snap a picture)

What better way to refuel than to sit on a terrace people watching and enjoy some truly delicious treats?! The Dutch crepes come with sweet or savoury toppings, so perfect even as lunch. Waffles are sweet and go very well with some great Dutch coffee and hot chocolate for the kids.

And finally, DON’T cycle!

I’ll be controversial and say: Don’t hire a bike unless you are a fit and confident cyclist, who cycles regularly… and knows the road code.
Cycling in Amsterdam is fast and furious. The locals use bikes to get from place to place quickly. Tourists tend to go at sightseeing pace, stopping often, going on the pavement, the wrong way on streets, getting lost, holding up traffic. With kids this will be even more of a challenge. Despite being an avid cyclist, I just wouldn’t cycle in Amsterdam for fear of getting entangled with other cyclists.